Virus
by Time Lady Evangeline
Summary: The Doctor is becoming ill, and he will need his friends, Amy and Rory, to help him through his sickness. However, is there something he isn't telling them? First chapter credit goes to The Random Obsessionist!
1. The Kappell Virus

**Hey! I haven't posted for a while, but I've been writing. I can't seem to get my head around the fact that I don't have to finish a story before posting it, so this'll be the first story I don't post complete. Well, I adopted this story from The_Random_Obsessionist (With her permission), and this first chapter was NOT written be me. However, the rest is ;)**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN DOCTOR WHO. ALL RIGHTS GO TO BBC.**

**So, here is the marvelous work done by The_Random_Obsessionist! :3**

****Amy Pond strolled into the control room of the TARDIS to find the Doctor exactly where she'd left him: lying on his stomach with half his body crammed underneath the console, with his jacket piled on the floor beside him. "Doctor, you've been at it for hours! Give it a rest!" She came over to stand directly behind him, and took a few moments to admire the view.

"Amy, I'm busy!" His voice was so muffled that Amy had to bend down to hear him. "Go have a cup of tea or something. I'll be done soon." He crawled out from under the console, flipped a few levers, and brought the view screen around to him. Seeming to be dissatisfied with the prognosis, he huffed and promptly dove back under the console.

Amy groaned in frustration. "What are you doing under there, anyway?"

The Doctor wriggled himself out from his small hole and sat up in order to glare at his stubborn companion. "Amy, I am trying to fix the temporal stabilizer. Without it, the TARDIS can't materialize in any specific time. Basically, we're stuck in the vortex until I can fix this, so I would suggest that you leave me alone, so that I can concentrate." He went back under the console without waiting for a reply. Amy sighed angrily and plopped down onto the jump seat.

The Doctor chuckled at her pout. Humans were so temperamental. He hopped up again to check the computer, but still did not like what he saw. "Oh, come on," he muttered. He went down on one knee and put just his head and one arm under the console. A sudden cry of pain followed by a loud bang startled Amy into coming out of her sulk.

"Doctor? Are you alright?"

He fell back into a sitting position, holding one hand to his chest and the other to his head. "She shocked me!" He let go of his head to rub his hurt hand. "That hurt!" He shot an annoyed look at the console, and the TARDIS indignantly whirred in response. He returned his hand to his head and winced. There was no blood, but that was going to hurt for a while. He scowled, rose to his feet, and with a sigh, turned and headed down the stairs to see what he could do with the mess of wires under the glass floor. Amy saw that he seemed fine and returned to pouting. After a few minutes of fiddling, he looked up.

"Amy, can you get me my sonic screwdriver?" he called. "I left it in my coat pocket."

She sighed in exasperation as she got up from the not-so-comfortable jump seat. She walked to where the Doctor had unceremoniously tossed his tweed jacket on the floor earlier and began rummaging through the first pocket she came to. The Doctor soon looked up from his work to check her progress.

"No, Amy, wrong pocket."

She glared down at him. "Well, which one is it, then?"

"Inside, left, top." Amy stuck her hand in the jacket and found a new pocket. "No, no, Amy. Left pocket."

"That is the left pocket!"

"Left from the wearer's point of view!"

"Well then be more specific!" Amy angrily stuck her hand in the other side. "Doctor, there's no pocket on this side!"

"Oh, never mind! Bring it down here. I'll find it myself."

Amy complied, stomping heavily down the stairs and rudely shoving the coat at the Doctor, who smoothly reached in and pulled out the screwdriver. He looked at his fiery-headed companion. "Thank you." With no further fanfare, he went back to fiddling with wires that made no sense to anyone but him.

Amy folded the jacket and tossed it on the steps, then wandered back through the door to see if she could find Rory. Maybe he was doing something interesting. The Doctor dimly registered her exit, but continued to use the sonic on the wires without looking up. Finishing the fusing, he tossed it in the air out of habit before putting it away, but jumped when it clattered to the floor. Dumbfounded, he looked at it lying there on the ground. With a brief shake of the head, he bent down to retrieve it, but it slipped from his fingers a second time and skittered across the floor. He frowned at his hand and rubbed his fingers together. There seemed to be a slight numbness in the tips of his fingers, perhaps a residual side effect from that wonderful jolt of electricity he'd received. This time when he reached for his beloved screwdriver the retrieval went smoothly and it found a home in his shirt pocket. It was only a matter of minutes before he pulled out the sonic again, but before he'd even gotten it close enough to the wires held in his other hand, it slipped once again through his fingers. Letting out a small grunt of annoyance, the Doctor reached for the device, only to inadvertently knock it further away. Releasing the bundle of wires, he threw himself to the floor and put his hand over the sonic, but a cramp seized his arm and shoulder and he drew back with a cry of surprise and pain. It only took a few seconds for his muscles to loosen again. It didn't seem likely that that had been from the shock. He eyed the sonic screwdriver, still lying innocently on the floor. Grabbing it with the other hand, he returned to quickly fuse the last of the many wires he had been holding, then stood to return up the stairs and check what progress he had made.

Before he knew it, the Doctor had instinctively thrown his arms forward to catch himself as his forehead made sudden contact with a stair. He rolled onto his back and rubbed his bruised head yet again as he looked toward his feet. He'd tripped over the first stair, as though he hadn't even bothered to lift his foot. That was not what disturbed him, however. What disturbed him was the fact that he couldn't actually remember walking from the jumbled wires to the steps. Next thing he knew, he was at the console, staring at the view screen, which was still annoyingly flashing "TEMPORAL STABLIZER MALFUNCTION" in large red letters. He looked back to the steps, not even remembering getting up. He put a hand to his head. It was still bruised. His screwdriver was still in his shirt pocket.

"Doctor?"

The Doctor jumped several feet to the side when Amy suddenly appeared next to him with Rory behind her. He hadn't had the slightest warning that they were approaching. He realized his head really hurt now, and not only where he'd bumped it. This felt like a proper migraine.

"You look pale." Amy was still talking. "Are you okay?"

"Sure, I'm fine. I'm always fine." he lied. He'd barely gotten the last word out before a pain more severe than any he'd experienced in recent history cut through his midsection. He suddenly found himself on the floor with his head in someone's lap. He was out of breath and his whole body ached. The headache had not gone away and a slight queasiness had set in.

"I think it's really stopped this time," said Rory's voice from somewhere above the Doctor's head. "Doctor? Doctor, can you hear me?"

He forced his eyes open with a groan. "What just happened?"

"You had a seizure of some sort," Rory stated, worry written all over his face. The Doctor rolled onto his side, then slowly, with Amy's assistance, pushed himself up so that he was sitting on his heels.

"Nice, Mr. 'I'm-Always-Fine,'" Amy muttered.

"Describe it to me," he demanded.

After a moment of silence and worried stares from the two humans, Amy spoke. "So is it going to happen again?"

"I don't know. I asked you to describe it to me." He turned to Rory. "Now!"

Rory stammered for a moment. "Doctor, I-I just did. You just said it all sounded like the Kappell Virus."

The Doctor blinked. "I said that? Just now?"

"Yeah." Rory nodded. "You said symptoms included short term memory loss, degeneration of fine motor skill, full body cramps. . ."

"And that's exactly what it looked like." Amy added. "You weren't seizing. You just . . . contracted."

"And all this was said a moment ago?"

Amy and Rory looked at each other and nodded.

"That's the short term memory loss then?" Amy asked

"Apparently, hopefully that's all it is, although I only seem to be losing it in small patches right now. But first we have to see if this is a virus or something else."

"Doctor." Amy's eyebrows were scrunched in concern. "You said that about a minute ago."

He quickly noticed an increase in the nausea, but swallowed and willed his stomach to behave. "Right." He ran a hand over his face. "Okay. First things first. The three of us need to get to the med-bay. We're going to scan the two of you, make sure you're both alright, and then we're going to see if this really is the Kappell virus. Because right now, I'm really, really hoping it's not."

"Why not? What's so horrible about Kappell?" Amy put her hand over the Doctor's. "Doctor, tell us."

"-case." The Doctor blinked as the word died on his lips. Now he was walking toward the med-bay with a human companion on either side of him. He looked at one, then the other. "Rory, repeat what I just said."

"Why? I was listening."

"Just do it!"

"Ah, okay, you said that, if what's wrong with you does turn out to be the Kappell virus, we shouldn't worry about ourselves, because it's not airborne. We should just wash our hands and not touch our faces, and the TARDIS will keep the air purified anyway, just in case."

"Right, yes, good. Now, Amy, how long, approximately, has it been since you left the control room to find Rory?"

"Ah, I dunno. An hour, maybe?"

"And to me it felt like no more than twenty minutes . . ."

They had reached the med-bay. The Doctor went straight to a large monitor with two drawers underneath. Opening the bottom drawer, he pulled out a box filled with small squares of thin paper. He gave one to Amy and Rory and took one for himself. Then he opened the top drawer to reveal a slab of metal with several squares etched into it.

"Here we are," the Doctor said with forced cheerfulness. "Lick your paper, and put it in a square." They all did so and he shut the drawer and pushed a button on the monitor. "That will probably take no more than three minutes."

From the Doctor's point of view, a happy chime played immediately, indicating the results were in. The Doctor immediately noticed a severe increase in the intensity of both the migraine and the nausea. Before looking at the screen, the Doctor examined the faces of his companions. They seemed concerned but calm. "What has been said since I started the scan?"

Now the concern on their faces intensified into worry. "Nothing," Amy said. "You looked like you were in pain. I asked if you were okay and you shushed me."

He sighed. "Sorry."

"It's alright, Doctor," she said tenderly.

They all turned their attention to the scanner. There were three lines on the screen.

AMY POND: Diagnosis: healthy.

RORY WILLIAMS: Diagnosis: healthy.

DOCTOR: Diagnosis: Kappell virus. Press HERE for more information.

The Doctor read it again. It couldn't be. Surely not. This couldn't be happening to him. He turned away and sat on a nearby cot. Amy pressed the suggested button and began to read the page aloud. "Kappell Virus. Symptoms: loss of fine motor control, short term memory loss, severe mood swings, high fever, hallucinations, vomiting, severe cramps, migraines, fatigue, and . . . dry mouth."

"Well that's a rather anticlimactic way to end a list," Rory commented.

"Looks like the migraines have gotten a head start," Amy observed as the Doctor cradled his head in his hands.

"Read the last two lines, Pond," he said softly.

Amy scrolled down, skipping the specific detail and general history, and read the last two lines. "Average duration: 200 to 250 hours. Cure: none." She looked at Rory. "How many days is that?"

"Eight to ten Earth days," the Doctor supplied without raising his head. "I can't believe this is happening. This is going to be a week and a half of hell. I might not remember half of it, but it's still going to happen. Here's a fun fact about the Kappell virus." Now he looked up. "More than 60 percent of people who contract this virus die, but the virus itself isn't fatal. Most of them die from an overdose of medication, especially muscle relaxants."

"They forget they've already taken them," Rory muttered.

"Exactly, so I'm going to ask something of you two." He looked at them both. "Do not let me overmedicate myself. I'm sorry for both of you, but this next week isn't going to be pretty."

Amy sat next to him on the cot and put an arm around his shoulders. "It's going to be fine, Doctor. Really. Rory and I will be right here with you the whole way."

"She's right Doctor." Rory sat on the other side of him. "We'll do everything we can to help."

"There's a probability things will get violent. I don't want to hurt either of you. The TARDIS can take care of me perfectly well when the hysterics come, which they will. I'm asking you to just secure me to a bed and leave during that."

The Doctor saw that defiant glint in Amy's eye as she came in for a full hug and pressed her forehead against his. "Doctor, I know you'd never once leave me if I were where you are now. I don't care how hysterical you get; I'm not leaving you alone."

He returned the hug hesitantly. He wanted to protest and insist that she promise to keep herself safe, but at that moment, he just didn't have what it would take to force Amelia Jessica Pond to do something she didn't want to. They stayed like that for several comfortable moments, until Amy broke the silence.

"Doctor, you're already feverish." She pulled away and put a hand to his face, but he turned away.

"I know."

Her hands moved to his bowtie. He tried half-heatedly to brush them away, but his energy was draining fast. "Amy, I can do it myself." He said with a sigh. Amy paused, then let her hands drop. He undid the bowtie and opened the top button. His head was killing him more than ever, and he dropped it back into his hands.

"Doctor, maybe you should get some rest," Rory suggested. "Go to bed."

"Maybe that's a good idea," the Doctor agreed, but made no move to get up. He heard the door to the corridor open, and looked up to see Amy coming in. A glance to the side confirmed her absence, and in turn confirmed yet another memory lapse. Amy came up to him and pressed into his hand the pad of sticky notes and pen that he'd been recently keeping in his coat pocket. The top note was in Amy's handwriting and read "Pajamas, then bed. Amy and Rory most likely to be found in kitchen or library. XOXO"

"In case you forget," Amy said. "You be sure to come and find us if you need anything, and I really do mean anything." She patted him lightly on the back. "Now go."

He sighed and gathered enough energy to stand and walk to his room. Amy stood at the door to the med-bay and watched as he put a hand on his door and stop. The Doctor frowned, then felt the paper and pen in his hand. He looked at it closely for a moment, and looked around. He spotted Amy watching him. She raised an eyebrow and inclined her head to his room. His eyes returned to the door, then he opened it and went in.

Amy sighed. Just then, what she had seen in his eyes could only be defined as terror. He was actually afraid. Of what, Amy wasn't sure, but something about this illness had the Doctor truly scared. She felt Rory's hand on her shoulder.

"He'll be fine, Amy."

"There's something he's not telling us."

"There's lots of things he doesn't tell us."

Amy turned to her husband. "But what if it's something important? He takes it upon himself to decide what we do and don't need to know, but he's not always right."

"Amy, I don't think we're going to be able to force him to tell—" A screech of pain from down the corridor cut Rory off, and the duo took off towards the Doctor's room. Without bothering to knock, Amy threw open the door and rushed in to find the Doctor curled into a ball on the floor. His body was completely tense and unmoving. He was halfway out of his shirt, but had somehow gotten his arm tangled in a suspender. Rory began his attempts to free his arm. Amy massaged the Doctor's neck and shoulders, willing the muscles to relax. Rory soon gave up on trying to free the trapped appendage and, taking a cue from Amy, began to massage it. Small gasps of air were beginning to find their way through the Doctor's constricted airways, and the pitiful squeaking noises he was making only made Amy knead his shoulders more insistently.

After what felt like far too long for the Ponds, his muscles finally began to relax. When his arm was pliable enough, Rory extracted it from the elastic band. Tears of pain squeezed out from under the Doctor's tightly closed eyelids as he finally managed to draw in a strangled breath. Amy brushed the stray hair out of his face before tenderly wiping away the tears and thin sheen of sweat. After a few minutes of coughing weakly and simply catching his breath, the Doctor's eyes flickered open.

"You with us, Doctor?" Rory asked. The last bit of the Doctor's energy was gone, so he let his eyes slide back closed with a miniscule grunt of affirmation. He was out cold, so Amy and Rory were on their own to finish stripping him of his shirt and trousers. They now found opportunity to actually look around the Doctor's bedroom.

It was remarkably basic. There was an unmade double bed with white sheets and a light brown blanket, and next to it was a chest of drawers. The flat top was shoulder-height and covered with books and bits of alien technology. There was no dust, but one could somehow tell that they hadn't been moved in a very long time. The only other thing worth noting in the room was the door that led to the attached bathroom.

Amy began rifling through the drawers in search of something akin to pajamas. In the top drawer were shirts and bowties, all perfectly folded and organized by color. The second drawer had underwear and socks. In the third drawer, Amy found an odd assortment of clothing items, including a black leather jacket, a sweater vest with red question marks, an absurdly long scarf, a few velvet jackets, a very old and beat up pair of plaid trousers, and a white frock coat with a withered stick of celery pinned to the lapel. There did seem to be some more modern clothes in the bottom, so Amy continued to sift her way through this deepest drawer and finally emerged with a grey T-shirt and navy blue sweatpants. It was these with which the two somehow managed to dress the Doctor in. They then hefted him onto the bed and drew the covers over him. Not once did the ill alien wake up.

"I think the Doctor's sense of style is at its peak right now," Amy commented with a chuckle once they had finished, "considering what he has buried in that drawer there."

Rory shook his head with a small smile. "Come on, Amy." He started to lead her out of the room. "Let's let him sleep."

Amy cast a final worried glance at her raggedy Doctor before reluctantly following her husband to the kitchen.

**My chapters are much likely to be a lot shorter ;) Let's see what happens to the Doctor now!**


	2. Delusion

**Now you get to watch my own plot bunnies hop all over my love for Doctor Whump. Enjoy! 3**

The Doctor tossed and turned, unable to will the pain to leave. He knew he'd have to tell the Ponds eventually, but not now. The guilt was killing him, but he didn't have much time to think about it before his more immediate problem, the pain surging through his entire body, took stronger control, and his short term memory loss made him forget that he had been thinking of it at all.

Rory and Amy sat in silence at the kitchen table, both obviously worried. Rory stood up.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked him.

"There's got to be something I can do for him, anything. Even if it's not a cure, there might be a medication or treatment to relieve the symptoms."

"You saw the scan, it said there was nothing we can do."

"It said there was no cure. That doesn't mean there isn't something in this never ending time machine that can help us."

"I guess your right. Where do you plan on starting?" She stood next to him, willing to whatever she could do to help.

"Back in the med-bay. Maybe the TARDIS can lead us to something."

"Good idea." The two faithful companions walked in the direction they had been earlier, and the TARDIS helped them find the door. Rory tried his best to use the computer's softare, but it was all in another language. They couldn't make out a single word, and Rory was getting frustrated.

"Must be the Doctor's own language. I guess-" A horrible screech came from the Doctor's bedroom, and their eyes widened before bolting down the hall.

They found him kneeling on the ground, tears in his eyes as he looked at an empty space on the floor. He covered his mouth in shock before moving closer to the spot. He began to completely weep. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry. This is my fault, I should never have brought you with me, you could be at home with your family rather then...dead. I'm sorry!" His voice cracked in his sorrow. "Come on, wake up, please! Please... I didn't mean for this to happen..." His tone changed, to a more angry, dark one then desprate. "But it's my fault! I always so arrogant, so stupid, that I never stop to think about the danger and sorrow and destruction I bring! I should've stayed in the Pandorica, the universe would be so much better off!" His clenched fists loosened, and he moved against the wall, pulling his knees into his chest and sobbed shakily. He began to whisper, barely audible, as he stared in what looked like fear, not just of whatever he saw on the ground, but of himself. "I'm sorry for everything I've done to you, Amelia." With that, his body contorted into another muscle spasm made him tip over.

The last word came out like a mumble, but it was clear enough to both of them what he had been seeing. Amy dead. "The hallucinations have started, I thought we'd have a bit more time to prepare..." Rory said, pressing a hand to his forehead. "He's a lot warmer. Come on, Amy, help me get him back into bed." She was shaky from what she'd just heard, but pushed her feelings aside to help him.

Once he was lying down, Amy sat on the bed next to him, caressing his cheek softly. His breaths were fast, and he was still halfway trapped inside the hallucination. "Doctor, listen. It's me, I'm right here, I'm fine."

"A-Amy? But, how? You were-"

"It wasn't real. I'm right here, now calm down. I'm not going anywhere. We're going to take care of you."

His hand suddenly gripped her wrist tightly, and she was shocked. "I'm not stupid." He whispered mencingly. "How dare you take the form someone I loved so dearly! I watched her die! Why would you use her?! Tell me why!" Rory took a step forward defensively, but as the Doctor's face suddenly softened, she nodded that it was alright.

"No, Doctor, trust me, it's Amy. I'm right here."

"I watched her be killed, gruesomely in front of me! You aren't Amy!"

"I swear that I am." She thought for a moment, then smiled. "On fish fingers and custard." He relinquished the tight grip on her wrist, a tear streaming down his cheek as she rubbed at it.

Then, he blinked in surprise. Confused, he reached up and brushed his cheek, feeling the moisture. "Amy? What happened?" She had forgotten to let go of her wrist, and he looked cautiously at it.

"Oh, nothing, it was pretty normal, nothing too intense yet." She lied, not wanting to worry him. It was too late for that though. She had failed to notice the bruise that wrapped around her wrist now, so he saw it first, and took it gingerly.

"Oh no... Amy... I did this, didn't I?" I look of guilt and worry spread across his face. He had hurt Amy, and he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

**Yes, yes, this chapter is very short, even for me, but I wanted to be able to post The_Random_Obsessionist's chapter with something of my own at least!**


	3. Stage Two

**Wow! I had no idea this story would be so much in demand! I only posted it yesterday, and I've gotten a lot of reviews. I usually don't post so quickly, but because of all the great reviews from so many people, they really encouraged me to get writing and post this! So, for all my lovely reviewers and readers, here is the next chapter!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own DW. If I did, the Eleventh Doctor would reunite with his past companions ;)**

**** "N-no. I..uh.."

"I'm so sorry, Amy. You should both get out of here, like I said before. I-I can't believe I did this to you!" He looked so weak, and it was really worrying Amy.

"Doctor, it's fine. You're sick, and I'm not going to leave you, you understand? You always take care of us, but it's our turn now."

"Amy, I hurt you!" His eyes pleaded desperately. "It would be different if the illness wasn't so violent... I don't want you to see me like this..."

"Doctor, I-"

"Get out, NOW!" He yelled, which turned out to only make his migraine much worse. Tears began to form in Amy's eyes as she turned away from him, took Rory by the hand, and left.

Once the door closed behind them, the Doctor's muscles relaxed. He didn't know why he had snapped at them, but figured it must have been the mood swings. He felt guilty immediately afterwards. In his condition, he didn't want to admit that he really needed them.

"Amy, why did we leave?" Rory asked outside the bedroom.

"Give him twenty minutes of guilt for yelling, then we'll get back in there."

"Your devilish, you know that?"

"I try."

In his room, the Doctor knew he should apologize. However, Amy wouldn't listen to him. She shouldn't be with him, not after what he'd done... The image of the deep purple bruise around her wrist made him feel terrible. He must've grabbed her for some reason, but he just couldn't remember.

He should just take the Ponds home now, spare them of what they would see. He was thankful that Amy and Rory hadn't seen the small arrow at the bottom of the computer screen earlier, when Amy was reading off the symptoms, that read: STAGE TWO.

The Doctor resolved to setting things right with Amy and Rory. Swinging his legs off the bed, he discovered that this was easier said then done. When he stood, his stomach did flips. He took a moment to catch his breath before setting out.

He blinked, and found himself in the kitchen, sighing. A strong wave of nausea hit him, but he tried to ignore it. Being forgiven by Amy and Rory was more important then resting, at least now it was. The kitchen was empty, much to his dismay. He didn't know how much more walking he could take, as his legs were beginning to give out on him.

He slowly padded to the library, leaning against the wall. Pushing the door open, he found his friends going through medical volumes, all under the letter K. He nearly cried, knowing that they really did care for him. They looked up.

"Doctor, what are you doing here? You need to be in bed." Rory said. When he blinked, both his companions were by his side, helping him stand by having one of his arms over each of their shoulders. They were taking him to his room.

The Doctor looked down at Amy's injured wrist. It was wrapped now, thanks to Rory. "Amy..." He began, taking a breath. His head and stomach felt considerably worse. "I-I'm sorry. For yelling at you. Sorry. For hurting you."

"Hush, Doctor. I told you, it's alright. We're gonna take care of you, no matter what. Anything that happens is not your fault, understand?" He nodded, though he didn't agree with her.

They put him back in his bed, and Rory took out his portable nursing kit. He used the thermometer to see just how bad he was. "38, not too bad. At least, wait. What's his physiology?" Rory groaned, then trying to get a hold of the Doctor who was slightly incoherent. "Doctor? Doctor, can you ask the TARDIS to show me your physiology? I need it to know what sort of situation we're in." He nodded.

"TARDIS... show Time Lord average health record." He mumbled, and the TARDIS understood. It showed Rory a chart.

"Amy, we've got a problem..."

"What is it?"

"Look here," he said, pointing to a spot on the chart, "10-15 degrees is average. He's in trouble, we need some ice!" He ordered, and Amy ran to the kitchen, bringing back a rather large bag of it.

Rory put some in a smaller bag and put it behind his neck and on his forehead. The Doctor was fast asleep by now, but mumbled in his dreams.

Days passed, and he was a week into his illness, but he only seemed to get worse. Hallucinations more often, fever only rising despite their attempts to bring it down, spasms more violent. He'd begun to vomit two days after the diagnosis, which made it harder on his two companions then it had already been. They'd each gotten little sleep, and even when they did find time to rest, it was interrupted by the Doctor's panicked screams as he suffered a nightmare or hallucination.

Amy rubbed soothing circles on the Doctor's back as he vomited, kneeling on the floor of the bathroom. He trembled as she led him back to his bed. He'd lashed out several more times in the past week, though he'd only remembered a few of them.

Curling himself into a ball, he tried to fall back to sleep. He heard the door open and found Amy entering with a cup of tea. He'd gotten used to the time lapses his brain gave him, and learned not to mention every one of them. 'Not much longer before...' He thought.

"Doctor, I brought you a little something, hope it'll make you feel better." She smiled at him, holding the warm drink out for him to grab. As his hands went out to get it, his muscles contracted, and his hand knocked the tea out of her hand. As it hit the ground and shattered, a piece of the porcelin cup bounced up and cut Amy's cheek, as she was looking at it.

"Ow!" She said, her hand flying up to her face, bringing back blood from the cut. "Well, it's alright. I'll go make some more, no harm done." She smiled, gingerly picking up the shards of the cup, then going to throw them away and fetch a towel to clean up the mess of tea.

He knew he'd hurt them several times, ones that he couldn't remember. A few bruises marked Amy's forearms, and there was a cut on her leg. Rory had a rather deep bruise of his upper cheek, where the Doctor had punched him in a moment of hysterics he couldn't remember.

The Doctor was also fairly certain that he'd punched Rory in the stomach at some point in time, as he sometimes winced when he reached his hands above his head to grab certain objects. He was hurting them, and he couldn't bear it.

Next thing he knew, Rory came in, and he felt the bed dip as he sat on the bed. "Doctor, I need to ask you something." The Doctor nodded, listening. "If the illness lasted eight to ten earth days, you'd be getting better by now, or at least stop getting worse. Is there something you're not telling us? I haven't told Amy what I've been thinking, so I don't worry her if I'm wrong. Doctor, do you know something that we don't?"

It was time to confess, before he became to weak to warn them. "Rory, the Kappell Virus has two stages... TARDIS, change computer language to English." There was a 'beep' in reply, and the Doctor looked back at Rory. "Go to the med bay and look up the Kappell file again. This time, click the arrow at the bottom that says 'stage two.' I'm sorry Rory."

"For what?" The question didn't have to be answered.

**How was that? Well, please review! It encourages me to write more if I know people really want to read it! :D**


	4. An Old Friend

**Well, I guess your cliffhanger from earlier today didn't have to last long! I didn't expect so many people to review so quickly! Now, are you ready to find out what "Stage Two" is? Read on!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, don't own it.**

Rory stood up off the bed slowly, looking at him uncertainly before turning and running out the door. Amy was outside, putting a band-aid over the cut on her cheek. He took her by the hand as he went, pulling her to the med bay.

"What are you doing, Rory? What's wrong?"

"Just come on." Once there, he let her go, nervously making his way to the computer.

"We can't read it, remember? It was all-" She cut off, seeing it was in English. Rory typed in 'Kappell Virus', and it immediately came up. He moved the cursor down the the small arrow labeled 'stage two.'

Another page came up immediately, but this one was read: Fahengea Virus (Kappell Stage Two). Amy slowly began to read the page out loud.

"The Fahengea Virus, more commonly known as the second stage of the Kappell Virus, always follows the symptoms of Kappell. Symptoms include: Violent Delusions, Dangerously High Fever, Shivering, Strong Cough, Internal Bleeding, Paralysis, Long term Memory Loss." Amy's voice shook, and as she read the next line, tears streamed down her cheek. "The Fahengea Virus disables the Time Lord's ability to regenerate, making it ultimately fatal, ending in death. Average Duration: 96-110 hours. Cure: None."

Amy turned back to her husband, sobbing. Rory was somewhat in shock, holding on to his wife. "How long is that, Rory?"

"Four to five days..."

"Why wouldn't he tell us?! Rory, I can't lose him!" She was angry and grieved at the same time.

In his bed, the Doctor lay still, trying to will the pain to leave. Outside, he heard a high-pitched cry, which must've come from Amy. She knew now. He was going to die. Now was as good a time as ever, so he slowly stood up in the middle of his room and ordered the TARDIS to record what he was saying.

"Hello Ponds." He managed his best smile through the tears that threatened to fall. "If your seeing this, well, I'm gone, or at least close to it. This virus is killing me, and I've known it since the beginning. You were both brilliant. You were the first for this body, and, as it appears, the last for me. Thank you for taking care of me, especially now. I know I've hurt you, and I'm sorry." He was too weak to fight his tears any longer. "Amelia and Rory Pond... The girl and boy who waited. Amy, twelve years for someone no one thought existed... Rory, two thousand years outside a box as a plastic Roman for love... I'm so very old, and I never thought I'd ever have to say goodbye. Funny, I always thought that if I ever did die, I would die running. But, I can't run from this... So, at 908 years old, I guess this is it. The TARDIS will take you home now, back to the lives you should have always had. Off to have babies and such. Do your best to go on without me, though I know you'll be just fine. Don't waste your life thinking about me. I-I love you Ponds. Goodbye." He stopped the recording, and had the TARDIS store it, to be shown when the time came.

He got back into the bed, closing his eyes. His fever was rising, and fast. He heard his bedroom door open, and turned over to see Amy and Rory entering tentively. Amy's makeup was smeared and Rory's face was red. Amy's cool hand brushed his cheek as she fought tears.

"There must be something we can do, Doctor, anything." She whispered.

"I'm sorry Amelia. I really am."

"You only call me that when you're scared..."

"Scared? I'm not scared. I'm only... terrified." He whispered the last word. Amy leant down and hugged him tightly.

"It's alright Doctor, it's alright. We're here with you, all the way. I promise Doctor, you won't ever be alone."

"Thank you, Amy. But if it ever does get to be too much, just go to the TARDIS and say 'Interface One'. The TARDIS will know what to do."

"Tell me, is there any chance of a cure being out there, anywhere?"

"No one knows. But don't even think about it, Amy. You need to be safe."

"I'm not letting you go without a fight, Doctor, and you trust me when I say that. You are not going to die if I can do anything about it."

"I'm with Amy." Rory interrupted. The Doctor sighed. Why'd he have to pick such faithful companions?

"Doctor, I know that you must know that there's someone out there who might have something that can help you. Come on, don't you have any ideas?" He shook his head. "Don't you dare lie to us, not with so much at stake."

"There's a very slim chance-" He coughed lightly, and Amy's head whipped around to Rory, who was thinking the same thing. Stage Two was getting an early start.

"Where? Who?"

"A man... Captain Jack Harkness. Runs a facility called Torchwood in Cardiff that specializes in alien dealings. He knows me well. But, there's a one in a million chance that he can help. Amy, listen. You don't have to do this."

"But you know full well that we are going to. Doctor," her voice softened, "we're gonna save you. Can you stand?" He nodded, and next thing he knew, he was in the TARDIS console room.

"Give me a break, old gal'." He whispered while he began to work the controls. The TARDIS did it's best to keep it steady, and Amy had remembered to flip the blue stabilizers for him. Nonetheless, it was wearing him down fast.

When they'd landed, he nearly collapsed, but they caught him. They pushed the door open, and found themselves in Cardiff. The Doctor had lost consciousness, so they drug him out of the TARDIS. A strikingly handsome man in a military coat had been jogging up, but seeing the sight of the two people and the man, he ran up.

"Is this the Doctor?" He asked immediately. Amy nodded solemnly, and the man swiftly came beside them.

"I'm Captain Jack Harkness. I'm... his friend."

"He said you might be able to help. He's sick, he's dying, Jack."

"He can regenerate, which, I see he's already done since the last I saw him."

"That's been disabled. He's really dying." Rory said. Jack looked down at the Doctor, then back up at the two of them.

"Help me get him to my work building. We can try to find something there."

**Jack is just so awesome, I had to bring him into this. I hope you like it, and if I keep getting reviews, I might even post more late tonight or tomorrow! :D**


	5. Torchwood

**Here's the next chapter! I've just brought Jack into the story! Thanks to everyone for their continued support of this story!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, not mine.**

**** Rory and Jack both took him carefully, Jack showing them the way. When Jack stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, Rory and Amy thought he was crazy. Suddenly, the ground began to move downwards. "Invisible Lift, I figured it would be easier on him then the stairs."

Once the Doctor was comfortably lying on the couch, Jack turned to them. "What happened to him, do you know what he has?"

"It's called Kappell Virus... well, now it's the Fahengea Virus." Jack was already typing in the words on his computer. "The TARDIS told us what it was, but there's no cure. We were hoping you might have something to help."

"List symptoms to me, first Kappell."

"Fever, muscle spasms and contortions, short term memory loss, hallucinations, fatigue, migraines and-"

"Dry mouth." Jack finished. "There was a reported case of it in my files. Morphs into Fahengea, as it says here. This doesn't look good." He'd already scanned through the page.

"Can you help him?" Amy asked eagerly.

"I doubt it, but it's worth a shot. Anything for him. I have a medical encyclopedia, in some sort of alien language. We never tried completely translating it until now because the writing is smeared, but it's old. There's no telling if it'll help or not, or if we'll even be able to decode the language. I'll call in one of my workers. How far is he into the virus?"

"Fahengea is just getting started today."

"Alright, then we have at least four days, five and a half at best." He called Toshiko, the brains of Torchwood, and partially explained the situation. She was entering the hub twenty minutes later, ready for anything.

She was a Japenese woman, and even so late at night, she'd gotten dressed up, did her hair, and put make-up on. She saw the Doctor lying on the couch, then made her way to her work station. Jack had gotten out the encyclopedia, which must have been some sort of ancient alien textbook.

"Give them here. What am I looking for exactly?" She said.

"An virus called Kappell, or Fahengea."

"Alright. I'll start a scan on the pages to the computer. It will take a while though, the computer has to make out what is a smudge, then delete it, giving us the final image."

"Thanks for coming out so late, Tosh. It means a lot."

"I could tell it was urgent. So, while I get started, give me a briefing." She said, eyeing the Doctor before getting to work.

"Well, this is the Doctor." She looked up at him, a glint of suspicion in her eye. "Yes, Tosh, my Doctor. And this is-" He stopped, realizing he didn't know their names.

"I'm Amy, this is Rory. We travel with him."

"I figured. Okay, so Tosh, this is Amy and Rory. I'm sure that they're more then willing to tell us what happened." Amy nodded, and began.

"He just, got sick. It didn't seem too bad at first, just the hysterics got a bit out of hand at times. He said he'd be fine, he'd just have to wait it out. He didn't tell us... not until today." She stroked her Time Lord's cheek gently.

"Doctor..." Jack looked at him. He really did look like... like death. And Jack would know. His face was beyond pale, and he had dark circles under his eyes. His cheeks bright red, and he took short, shallow breaths. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and his hair was a mess. He looked so different from the strong, centuries-old Time Lord he'd known, even if he did have a new body, Jack could tell he was far too thin and fragile. This was not the Doctor, not the one who comforted and consoled him at the end of the world, when the fact that he couldn't die became known. This Doctor needed to be comforted right now, more then anything. He needed help.

"He's always saving everyone else, never stops to think about himself..." Jack said softly.

"You know him well, then?" Rory asked.

"I was like you, I traveled with him. He is truly wonderful, isn't he? I haven't met this version of him before, he's regenerated."

"What is the regeneration mechanism anyway? I get that it helps him not die, but what is it, exactly?" Rory was curious.

"It's a proccess where he completely changes himself to avoid death, his entire body and face, his personality. The only things that stay are his memories, and his TARDIS."

"You mean, he used to be someone different?"

"Yeah. This must be his eleventh form. I've seen him in three of them. Nine, Ten, and now, Eleven. Nine had big ears." Rory chuckled a bit, thinking about how the Doctor always teases him about his nose.

"There's hundreds upon hundreds of pages. The first one's in progress." Half an hour later, a page came out of the printer. "Okay, now I've got to translate it." She went to her computer, putting in a few words. The language was ancient Gebquenzian. She went word by word, and slowly but surely, words began to sort themselves out, and it took another twenty minutes. The first page was on how to treat someone with a some sort of infection called Wakali.

"Well, we've got a start. Come on, let's keep working. Tosh, can you put this software on all the other computers? This is our top priority, any problems with the Rift will just have to wait." She nodded.

"The Rift?" Amy asked.

"Yep. A Rift in time and space runs through Cardiff. Stuff get washed up here from everywhere."

"Cardiff? Well, that was unexpected. Actually, nothing's that unexpected anymore... not with him."

About five hours later, every computer in the hub had the software and they had a little over fifty pages done, each on a different alien infirmity. Still nothing on Kappel or Fahengea, though. Ianto walked in, thinking he would be the first to arrive to a quiet hub like usual, with Jack in his office. Instead, much to his surprise, he found three people he didn't know, one of which looked very weak, and Jack and Tosh at the computers, surrounded by pages all over the floor and desk, carelessly tossed aside.

It hadn't been as easy as anticipated. Some of the words wouldn't translate through the system, so they had to be done manually. It kept ending in disappointment when they didn't find the word Kappell or Fahengea. The Doctor was awake, but not completely aware of his surroundings. His fever had already rose so high that he was too weak to struggle against any delusion he might have had. Amy knew when he needed to be comforted when an occasional tear streamed down his cheek, and she'd just hush him and whisper kind and gentle words to him.

"Jack?" Ianto asked, a bit off guard. Ianto was the youngest Torchwood member, a young Welsh man with light brown hair and dark eyes, who usually worked as the tea-boy, cleaning up their messes and making them coffee. He had begun to do more then that, however, and went on field missions with the team.

"Ianto! Glad your here. Go ahead and make some coffee magic, I'm sure we all need it. Then, we could use your help."

"Yes, sir. But, while I do, what exactly is going on here?"

"An old friend of mine, the Doctor, came, and he needs our help. Next to him is Amy and Rory." The Doctor fell into a rather strong coughing fit, and Amy tried to soothe him.

Next to come in was Owen. Being the medic, he was immediately worried to her a loud bout of coughing just before he entered.

"Alright, who was it?" He said as he walked in. He didn't see the three guests when he walked in, but was quite surprised when he saw the mess scattered around the computers. No one answered him, as Ianto was busy making the coffee, and Jack and Tosh were absorbed in their work. "I'm not deaf. Who's sick?" He repeated. Still, he didn't think it was one of those three, they looked fine. He looked around the hub, wondering if maybe it Gwen.

When his eyes caught sight of the ill man and his friends, he decided it was time for answers. First off, he walked over to the three people as he spoke. "What's going on?" The question was directed at Jack, but Ianto answered.

"That there is Jack's Doctor. We're helping him."

"Jack's Doctor? The one he never wants to say anything about?" Ianto nodded, bringing the team the coffee mugs. Tosh took it gratefully, eager for some caffeine. Own went over and looked at this 'Doctor' fellow. He put his hand to his neck, concerned by the speeding pulse. He went to get his medical bag, bringing it back.

"It's alright, I'm a nurse." Rory said defensively.

"I'm a doctor, get out of the way." He pushed Rory aside, using a thermometor to take his tempurature. "Jack, this guy's burning up, literally! 55 degrees, he shouldn't be alive!"

"Are you sure it's that high?" Jack asked. Owen showed him the thermometor. "It's worse then you think, Owen."

"I know exactly how bad it is, I-"

"He's not human. He should have a tempurature of about 13 degrees."

"What?! Take him down to my work station. I've got equipment that might help lower the fever at the very least." Rory reluctantly began to help Jack carry him down, where Owen began to quickly put ice around the Doctor's body. That's when the last member of the team, a dark haired, pale skined woman named Gwen, arrived for work.

The amout of noise when she walked in startled her, as did the huge mess. "What's going on?!" Tosh looked up at her for a moment, then went back to working as she explained what she knew. Gwen saw the man lying on the autopsy table, and went to help Tosh with the translating.

After hours of long work, the team was exasperated when they'd still found nothing.

**;) I'd love to get more reviews! They make me happy, and yes, they do encourage me to update faster! :D**


	6. Encourage

**I really like this chapter myself! It was a great pleasure to write, and I hope you enjoy it!**

**Also, shoutout to CasiNight: Thank you so very very much for your awesome reviews! You're reviews made me feel special 3**

**And, one to 2shoelaces: I thought your review was rather clever! Have you got a TARDIS too? ;)**

**Disclaimer: I wish I owned it, but I don't. Oh well.**

**** After hours of long work, the team was exasperated when they'd still found nothing. Amy never left the Doctor's side, and Rory had gone to go help with the translating. They'd gotten about 200 pages translated, and they saw little hope. Owen spoke up.

"Jack, this isn't looking good. Maybe you should come see him. He's in a lot of pain, and if he's only got around five days left, well... just come over here. He's coughing up blood."

"That'd be the internal bleeding..." Rory muttered, terribly worried about his friend. Amy couldn't contain her tears, which flowed freely down her cheeks. The rest of the team nodded at Jack to go be with the Doctor, they'd handle the translating.

"Doctor?" He said softly. The Doctor opened his eyes very slightly, just enough to see Jack's silhoette. "We're gonna save you, Doctor, I promise. Just hang in there for us, okay?" The Doctor noticed, even in his terribly weak state, that Jack was crying quietly.

"J-Jack..." That was the first word any of them had heard him speak since they arrived at Torchwood.

"I'm here. No one is going to leave you, Doctor."

"I'm s-sorry." He coughed painfully into his hands, coming back bloodstained.

"Don't be stupid. There's nothing to be sorry for." Jack pulled up a stool next to the Doctor.

"B-But-"

"Hush. You're going to be fine."

The Doctor suddenly let out a sort of wail that could shake a man to the very core. He shakily jumped off the bed, looking in horror at Jack. "Jack? Jack?!" He was panicking, and everyone in the hub stopped to look at them. "Jack, what's wrong? Jack?! Jack!" The Doctor's eyes turned to the floor where he fell onto his knees.

"Doctor, what is it?" The Doctor couldn't hear him.

"Jack, no! Please, come on, don't tell me this, come on!"

"Doctor! I'm over here!"

"Jack! Please... what do you mean you can't- No! Jack, NO!"

"Doctor!" Jack tried to grab on to his shoulder, but the Doctor viciously shook himself free, hitting Jack hard in the jaw, beginning to sob.

"Wake up, Jack. Please... don't... OPEN YOUR EYES, JACK! Please... Wake up. You're supposed to wake up!"

"Doctor..." Jack was in pure shock, not knowing what to do. Amy came and put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's not the first time. Scared me to death when he saw me. Don't worry, he probably won't remember it anyway. When he calms down a bit, we can get him back to bed."

"JACK! NO! Jack, please... if you wake up, I'll help you... I won't rest until you find your two years of lost memories, please, doesn't that sound good, Jack? Come on, wake up!" The Doctor pleaded weakly. Owen looked up at the rest of the Torchwood team, who had the same thoughts. They'd never known Jack had lost two years of his memories.

"Doctor, I'm here, right here." His words didn't get through to him. The Doctor gently eased himself to the ground, where he sobbed on the cold concrete floor. Rory helped Owen and Jack put him back up on the examination table, despite the weak man's struggles.

"Jack, I think I should restrain him, but I won't do it without your permission. I think it's for the best. If he were to hurt someone seriously, I'm sure he wouldn't forgive himself." Owen said, looking at Jack's bruising jaw. He hadn't failed to notice the various cuts, bruises and bandages on Amy and Rory, either. Jack looked at the Doctor, who thrashed around in pain, then nodded.

Owen wrapped the leather restraints around the Doctor's wrists, ankles, and stomach. Suddenly, the Doctor's silent rampage stopped, and he opened his eyes slowly. "Jack?"

"Doctor, I'm right here." Immediantly, the Time Lord realized what he had done, and felt even worse about the bruise on his jaw.

"I'm sorry, Jack."

"Don't worry about it."

"Are Amy or Rory hurt? Did I injure anyone else?"

"No." The Doctor sighed, a tear streaming down his cheek.

"I've already done so much harm to those two, Jack. I wish I'd die already so they could get back to their lives..."

"Don't say that. We're going to save you."

"Maybe it's better if I die, Jack! All I ever do is bring harm to people, you should know that by now, especially after you met the Master! That was all my fault!"

"That was not your fault, you should know better then that." He replied firmly.

"But Jack! You-You were under pure torture for an entire year, dying over and over, and guess what Jack? It was my fault!" The lump in Jack's throat was growing bigger.

"Stop it! Don't you realize that you are the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me?! You think you're such a monster, but you're not! You make every life you touch a little brighter, even when you're not trying! Can't you see that?! We need you Doctor, the universe needs you! When someone becomes your companion, they quickly become aware of the risks. It's our desicion to be with you, and you know why? Because it's the best thing any of us have ever done, and the beauty is worth the risks! You... you are brilliant, Doctor... and I can't lose you, none of us can. We could never bear it, not without you. When the Master had me chained up, torturing me, the one thing that kept me sane was my faith in you. Knowing that you would pull through, I didn't give in to the death, not once. All because of you, you see?"

"People have too much faith in me... I'm only a coward, a daft old man who stole a box and ran away..."

"But you are so much more then that. I'm sorry. I never told you. Everyone you meet appreciates you so much, but no one ever takes the time to stop and say it. You might not believe in yourself, but everyone else believes in you, and that makes up for it. You don't have to be afraid of yourself, Doctor. Not anymore."

"Thank you, Jack..."

"We're all here for you, Doctor. We aren't gonna let you go." Jack had let his tears fall. There was no point of holding them anymore.

Everyone had fallen silent, watching the two of them. The rest of the Torchwood team had just seen a softer, kinder side of their Captian, one more gentle. They'd also learned somewhat of where Jack had been when he disappeared, leaving them alone to fend for themselves. Jack looked up, wiping his eyes.

"Alright everyone, show's over, back to work. No time to waste, we've only got about three days left." Jack sat with the Doctor for a long time as the softly talked about their adventures, out there among the stars, they talked of the days with Rose Tyler, and the Doctor realized he missed her so very dearly. He wished he could see her just once more before he died, but he knew she'd be fine, especially with her human Doctor.

'Everyone moves on,' the Doctor thought, 'and once I'm gone, that's exactly what they'll do. That's what I want them to do. Just be brilliant without me, my faithful companions...' Then, he slipped into a fitful sleep, Jack right there by his side.

**You know the drill, review! ;)**


	7. Understanding

**Here's a new chapter! I think it's a bit short, even for me, but I find it necessary to end where I did. Just a quick notice, I'm back in school, so updates might slow down a bit. Thanks to all the wonderful reviews that people have left, and I'm really surprised to not find one comment against my work! **

**** They worked well into the next morning. Tosh's fingertips had gone numb from the amount of typing she'd done, and her eyes were red. Ianto brought the whole group another cup of coffee, which she took gratefully. Owen came up and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tosh, you should really get some sleep. It's not healthy to stay up like this."

"Can't. We're gonna save him, Owen."

"I don't need to have to take care of you when this is all over because you worked yourself sick." She glared at him.

"I'll rest when he's out of harm. Can't you see how much he means to Jack? That man is the only person who is able to make Jack open up like that, and show his weakness. I'm not letting him go." She said, reffering to the Doctor. Jack was still sitting by him, now holding his hand. Owen gave up, walking back to his own computer to put another page in the scanner.

There seemed to be little hope left for the Doctor, and he accepted that himself. However, his friends didn't. They had at least three days left, and they weren't going to waste them. Owen went over to give the Doctor a sort of physical, which he had begun to do every hour when he learned of the symptoms of the disease.

"Alright Doctor, you know the drill. Just lay there 'till I ask you questions." The increasingly frail man nodded, and Owen took his temperature, which to no one's surprise, was higher, and checked where the internal bleeding was taking place.

"Okay, now can you move your left fingers for me?" He did as he was told as Owen did the same for his right fingers and his arms.

"Good, can you move your left toes now?" Nothing happened. "Your left toes, Doctor?"

"I'm trying..." Owen looked over at Jack, who knew exactly what was happening.

"Okay, right toes?" No movement. "Can you bend your legs?"

"I-I can't." Jack could see the fear that was gripping the Doctor tightly, obvious in his eyes.

"It's okay, mate. Just relax, alright? I'll send down Amy and Rory to be with you too." He addressed Jack. "You three can just keep him company, tell him stories of whatever you guys used to do, just keep him engaged in something." Jack nodded as Owen called down the Doctor's current companions.

The three spoke to the Doctor softly, reminding him of times they'd have. It was obvious that he was starting to lose some of his memories, as he would look curiously at them when they'd refernce certain adventures, but then just smile and nod.

It broke Amy's heart to see the Doctor this way. Rory knew it, too. The Doctor didn't stand a chance if he wasn't helped soon. The Doctor was Amy's entire life. Rory remembered when they'd cram themselves in a cardboard box that had been painted blue, him in a torn of suit for a reason he didn't understand, and Amy smiling brightly. That was Amy's favorite game, and he'd played it whenever she wanted.

When he'd finally met the Doctor, he was surprised to say the least. However, that man had become such an important part of their lives, and though he would never admit it, Rory had come to love the man in the bowtie. No matter how much he put them in danger, or screwed up their normal lives, Rory knew that he was a truly good person.

He didn't try to steal Amy's love from him, like he'd originally thought. He'd actually ended up protecting it. When he'd picked up Rory for that first trip to Venice, Rory had only seen the man as a threat, and didn't realize he was really trying to keep he and Amy together. Now, Rory was frustrated. The man had protected them so many times, and he couldn't protect the Doctor from what was attacking him now.

Jack gently caressed the Doctor's cheek. This Doctor was a broken man, just like he had become over the two hundred years of his life. Jack could understand the Doctor's pain now, and realized how well he could wear the mask, the one that told everyone that he was fine, that he was always fine. He had forgotten that the Doctor was, in the end, only a man, putting him way up like some sort of person with no dark feelings of his own.

He couldn't imagine how the Doctor felt right now, for the first time knowing that he might close his eyes and not wake up. Jack had forgotten how that felt after 1,300 deaths, being ripped back into existence each time he'd died. He had become reckless, not caring whether he lived or died.

The Doctor didn't want to leave these wonderful people, but he knew they'd all do just fine on their own. Everyone had someone. He was just an extra in their lives, standing in the way between them and a normal existence.

Another two hours passed, and it was 10:00 AM. Tosh looked up at the screen as words from page 783 began to unfold. Her mouth fell open as she stood up quickly as her chair tipped behind her, her recently-filled coffee mug slipping from her grip and shattering on the cement.

"What's wrong, Tosh?" Owen asked, still concerned for her health and thinking she was having some sort of panic attack.

"I've got something! Look!" Immediately, the other four team members, including Jack, were up at her computer. It read:

CHEN-7: Commonly known as 'the one-day plauge'. Affects those with a binary vascular system. Feared, along with the Kappell/Fahengea Virus (Page 20463)...

They stopped reading there. Tosh ran over to the large book, flipping through the pages, trying to find those numbers on the bottom of the page. She'd done so much translating that she knew the numerical code. When she found the page, she tore it out and put it on the scanner.

Amy and Rory were holding hands tightly, hoping it wasn't false hope. The Doctor had a feeling it was. As the page was in progress, Jack ran back down to the Doctor, taking his hand.

"It's gonna be okay, Doctor. There's still hope. Just hang in there for me."

"Jack, don't be disappointed if it's nothing, or if it's not in our reach."

"Everything is in our reach, Doctor. We are, after all, humans. Don't underestimate us."

**How was that? I love Doctor Whump! (If you haven't noticed lol) Like I said, I had to end it there :D Thanks for reading, please review!**


	8. Broken

**It feels like forever since I've posted! This week has been super busy, and I am not sure when I will get another chance to write. Forgive me in advance! I'm balancing schoolwork, softball, dance, dieting, Christmas season, and time with friends right now! Not to mention sports and dance fees, and money for Christmas gifts for my best friends, and running for 8th grade valedictorian! I will still try my best to update in my free time, I promise!** **I really do appreciate every review I get!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. All rights go to BBC.**

The Doctor let himself slip into a fitful sleep, fearing disappointment. Tosh typed away at her computer, trying to make the work faster by preforming some manually. They all waited anxiously, ready to do what was necessary to get to the cure.

Tosh downed another cup of coffee tiredly as the scan neared its finish. Amy went down to hold the Doctor's hand and soothe him from his nightmare as he began to mumble in his sleep. She had been quite used to his pointless ramblings, but this one had caught her off guard.

"Susan... that was where it began. The running, the non-stop running through all of time and space. Why did we go, Susan? Ahh yes. It was because we had been banished, so together, in exile, we ran away from Gallifrey, far, far away. Our existence rippled through time, before I was feared across the universe. Those were the days when I wasn't afraid of myself... before I had become the most dangerous being ever known. It was just you and me, together, no fear, no regret, just... us. Those days are long gone. They are replaced with days of eternal torment, bubbling up from my soul. I am destruction, like a flame. Everyone who comes too close gets burnt. Oh, if you could see me now, my dear granddaughter, you would be so disappointed in me. We used to have so much fun, but now, I bring pain. You would never know this is me, Susan, I've changed so much. So young, so carefree, that was us. Not anymore, never again... never again..."

Amy wiped the tears she hadn't realized she'd shed. She prayed this would be it, that they'd finally found a way to save him. He'd been saving her since the beginning, and she felt so helpless as his body held a war against itself. Susan must have been his first companion, and from what she'd just heard, she was his granddaughter. Amy couldn't help but feel she was intruding on some deep personal moment between himself and Susan. She wasn't supposed to be hearing it, and she knew that.

She turned, and found Jack standing behind her, tears in his eyes. He cleared his throat before speaking. "Too some degree, Amy, I feel his pain. When you learn that you can live that long, it's great at first. You don't have a care in the world-" He choked on his words, struggling to continue without sobbing. "But then, a hundred years fly by, and you find yourself doing things and losing people you'd never imagined. When it all starts out, it's like a sense of adventure sets on you, and in a flurry of time and relationships, suddenly, all that is gone, and you find yourself alone again. I'm immortal, Amy. That started with the Doctor."

"Isn't there any way you can die?"

"Haven't found one yet. I really hope so, though. To tell the truth, I'm scared that one day, I'll wake up alone at the end of the world, with no one else. It'll just be me, alone, forever. The Doctor will always have people around him, time doesn't affect him. He has to live, not just for himself, but for everyone else who needs him. The way he's giving up, it's selfish. I need him, you and Rory need him, and he can't see that." Jack had his fists clenched tight as he looked upon the dying man.

"I do need him, Jack. I've always needed him."

"How did you find him?" He put a hand on her shoulder.

"I was only eight years old, and I was scared. He always comes when someone's scared. There was a big, scary crack in my bedroom wall, two parts of time and space that should never have touched were pouring the universe into my head each night as I slept. It erased my parents from my life, as if they never existed. He fell out of the sky, glowing with a golden shine." She let out a small laugh. "I asked him who he was, and he told me he didn't know yet. He was soaking wet as he pulled himself out of his blue box, saying he was in the pool, in the library. The box was destroyed and the inside looked as if it were on fire. I wasn't scared though. I fed him, and he went back out to his broken blue box. He told me he'd be back in five minutes. I waited in that garden faithfully for his return every day for twelve years. When he finally came back, he was saving the world yet again. Then, he left again, two years that time. He took me away, and it was wonderful. Rory came later, then he died, then he didn't exist, then he was a Roman, then he was made of plastic, then the Doctor blew up the universe, as he would say."

Jack chuckled. "Your poor husband! That sounds like the Doctor."

"He's married, you know." That piqued Jack's curiosity.

"Oh yeah? I never thought him the type. Who's the lucky lady?"

"My daughter." Jack's mouth fell open in shock.

"And he judges me... How old is she, twelve?"

"No, she's actually older then I am. She's half Time Lord, so their timelines are mixed up. She loves him, though. It's sad, but I didn't get to watch her grow up. She was captured and taken from me the day she was born. Didn't even know I was growing up with her. She's killed the Doctor, ya' know? Twice. And that was before they were married." That gave Jack a wide smile.

"Impressive. Where is she now?"

"Prison. Killed the Doctor."

"If only they could see him here now. Maybe we should go get her."

"How? It's not like he can fly the TARDIS. She'll be alright. She sees younger versions of him, going back in time to help him."

"Hey, don't give up on him just yet, we've still got a chance."

As if on cue, Tosh announced the translating was done. Everyone gathered around the computer as Gwen read it out loud:

"THE KAPPEL/FAHENGEA VIRUS: Two Stages. Second stage, known as Fahengea, ends in death.

They skipped the paragraph describing symptoms. The last paragraph read:

"It was once believed that the crimson grass of Gallifrey, properly liquidized and injected into the ill, can cure the disease. This has never been able to be tested, however, due to the planet's fate after the Last Great Time War. The grass is no longer existent, as is the planet. So, as far as medical knowledge goes, the virus is fatal and uncurable..." Gwen trailed off.

Jack ran down to the Doctor. "Doctor, we need to get to a planet called Gallifrey, before something called the Last Great Time War. Can you do that?" The Doctor shook his head no.

"Why not?" Amy pleaded.

"That's my planet... I was the one who destroyed it. I locked it away, for the saftey of the universe. Nothing gets in or our of that time lock, ever. I'm going to die, alright? My-My memory is already getting fuzzy. I'm forgetting people I know I should remember. There's...there's empty spaces in my life! I'm going to die, and you all need to accept that!" The room fell silent as Amy sobbed into Rory's chest, and Rory, despite his efforts to stop it, found a few tears sliding down his own cheeks.

Jack mind was a flurry of raw anguish, grief, and anger. His fists were clenched and his teeth gritted and tears fell that he didn't even bother to hide. "No! Doctor! Take us to Gallifrey! I know you can, there must be some way!"

"I can't Jack... I'm sorry, I really am."

"I am not letting you die, do you understand?!"

"But-"

"You listen to me Doctor! You may stop fighting, you might give up hope, but, until you take your very last breath, I am not letting you go! You are going to live if it KILLS me! And you know that I am more then willing to let it go there!"

For once, the Doctor let himself full-out cry in front of others. Owen helped him sit up, as he couldn't move his legs. Sobs came from the fraile man, ones that no one had ever seen. They were sobs for all those 1200 years in that Time Lord. For every life he'd failed to save. For all the destruction he'd ever brought. For the destruction of his home, Gallifrey, and all the lives of his old family and friends, trapped in the bubble that was his past. And for once, the Doctor, the strongest man in the universe, fell apart.

**How was that? I'd love to hear what you think! Please review! Any questions you have or comments will be accepted gratefully!**


	9. A Chance

**Wow! I haven't updated in two weeks, and I'm sooo sorry! My computer nearly got wiped, and I couldn't let that happen! It was really messed up (45 minutes to completely load my internet homepage). Anyway, for all my faithful readers and reviewers, here is chapter 9!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.**

**** Amy sobbed harder into Rory who was also sobbing, and Jack couldn't contain himself either. Even the members of the Torchwood team were wiping their eyes as the ill man's upper body jerked in the motions of his tears and his hands shook. Amy, Rory, Jack, and the Doctor all took hands, sharing their undeniable pain.

After almost ten minutes, their breathing evened out. Jack looked up at the Doctor, then spoke in a shaky voice. "Doctor, if there is any way of getting us some of that grass from Gallifrey? Any way at all?"

"Jack, there's no telling what-"

"Answer me."

"There's a slim chance, but it could result in-"

"Chance. That's what I love to hear."

"Jack! It's too dangerous!"

"Doctor, you're saying there's a chance!" Amy butted in.

"No, I- Well, yes. But there's no telling what could happen, it's a 95% chance of failure, and that means lives will fall!"

"But that also means there's a 5% chance of success, and you will be saved." Jack pointed out. "Please, Doctor. Help us save you."

The feeble man nodded. "Take me to the TARDIS. I'll do my best." Amy's eyes lit up and Jack smiled lightly, until the Doctor snapped at them. "But listen here! I will not endanger the lives of anyone else! I would rather die, then let anyone else lose their lives for me to get the cure! If I can't be saved, so be it!" They nodded before Owen pulled a wheelchair out of the medical storage.

He gestured to it, and Jack and Rory picked up the Doctor and placed him on it. Amy pushed it, and they were soon on their way to the TARDIS. Jack instructed Owen to come with them, and had the rest of the team stay there. Amy and Rory walked side by side, as quickly as possible.

The TARDIS welcomed them with her familiar hum as they pulled the Doctor inside. For a moment, he looked so incredibly helpless. The TARDIS decided to help him, and a type of swing fell from a hatch in the ceiling. The Doctor smiled as best he could, then the rest of them helped him up onto the swing.

His fingers moved over the controls with a gentleness they'd never seen. The Doctor always bounced around the console, excited and happy. Now, he was so weak, so tired, that even after 900 years of travel he could barely manage to remember what he had to do.

Suddenly, the TARDIS jerked violently. The Doctor quickly flipped a few switches, and it came to an abrupt stop. "This isn't going to work..." He muttered.

"Please Doctor, try." He sighed and nodded. His hands trembled, as tears tried to force their way up. These people cared about his fate, and he didn't know how to tell them that he was afraid to save himself.

Finally, try after try, the TARDIS landed. The tension in the air was almost too much to handle. Jack was the first to speak. "Are we here Doctor? Is this Gallifrey?"

"N-No... not yet. We should just go, let me die, for goodness sake! Do you really want to endanger the entire universe?! Let me die, I beg of you!" He broke into a rough coughing fit as blood poured from his mouth. When he finished, he wiped the blood from his lips, and a tear slipped from his eye.

Everyone held their breath for a moment, in a bit of shock. The Doctor brushed the tear away, and he didn't understand the reason for their abrupt silence. Looking down at his hand, he saw that rather than a tear, he'd shed a drop of blood.

"Not much time." Owen announced.

"Where are we now, Doctor?" They looked at him as his facial expression morhed to confusion the realization.

"I can't remember..." Amy was the one who ventured to open the door. The Doctor gasped at the sight. There was something important about this place, he just couldn't figure out what. There was an empty space in his mind that this place had once been so important. It struck fear and awe into his hearts at the same time, and he was breathless.

"Why did I bring us here? What's so important about the Fields of Trenzalore?" He whispered. Before the lay a lush green praire. "Maybe this is where I want to die. I can't remember!" He became frustrated.

"I don't know, but we best get out there and see what we can find. Bring him out with us, there has to be something. You wouldn't have brought us here for no reason. Now, quickly." Jack ordered. Rory and Owen picked him up and carried him outside. The Doctor's coughs became stronger and more painful, and they could feel his fever rising.

"We might already be too late, Jack. Even if we were to find this grass within the hour, he could be dead by then. I'd be surprised if he's not gone in half that time." Owen told him.

"Quiet! We are going to save him! Now, just look around, there must be something, there has to be!"

"Where am I?! Who are you two?!" The Doctor began to panic, looking up at Owen and Rory. "Amy, Jack, what's going on?! Help me!" He pleaded. Owen nearly choked trying to hold back tears and Rory didn't bother to even try not to cry. They set him down in the soft grass.

"Jack-" Amy started.

"Amy, please, just keep looking!"

"No, Jack, I-"

"We don't have time to waste!"

"Jack! Listen to me!" She demanded. Jack turned, and she pointed out across the flatland. "Look closely. Is that...?"

Jack's mouth curved into a wide smile as he drew in a breath. "Yes, I'm sure of it. We can still save him." Amy smiled wide as tears of joy streamed down her cheeks, and they ran in the direction of the unexpected salvation.


	10. UnLock

**It's Christmas break, and I'm planning on finishing this story soon. There will most likely be three more chapters, possibly one ore two more then that. I really don't know. I really don't want to see it finish, I fell in love with this story myself. :3 Here's chapter 10!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who.**

**** Across the grass, two worlds combined. Farther off, the green grass started to be over run with grass of another color. A hundred miles away, a war raged on. A war that would never be won. Blood stained the already crimson grass on top of a hill in the far distance.

"Owen, with me, now!" Jack yelled as he ran past them. He had never smiled so wide in his life, despite knowing that the fight wasn't over yet. There was a long way to run, and they didn't have much time.

"Don't touch it!" The Doctor suddenly screamed as Amy knelt beside him. "Don't touch it!" He began to struggle and scream. "Don't touch it! The- The Time Lock! I remember! Don't touch it!" Amy leaned over him as he fell silent.

"What's wrong, Doctor?!"

"They can't touch it! They can't! Don't let them touch the grass! The Time Lock-it will, it will..."

"Will what?"

"Shatter. Hell will break lose throughout the universe, you can't let the touch it!"

"There must be a way to save you and keep them inside the Time Lock."

"Yes...yes..." He calmed slightly. "But, I-I don't remember!" He coughed harshly as blood poured onto his hands. He suddenly quieted, looking up at the fiery red-headed girl in shock and horror.

"Doctor, what's wrong? What is it?"

"I-I can't remember... your name." She covered her mouth, trying to stifle the surprised squeal she let out as tears fell. Then, she carefully brushed the hair out of his face as he wimpered. This man was so broken, but she loved him anyways. He was wonderful, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him and Rory.

Amy grabbed onto his coat and sobbed into her Doctor, the one who she always went to for help. Now, she needed it desprately, and he could not give her what she needed. Him. Jack had stopped running upon hearing the Doctor's previous screams. He didn't know what to do, no one did. The Doctor lifted his arms and held Amy to his chest. "I love you, Pond." He whispered. "Don't forget that."

"I love you too, raggedy man. Please don't leave me."

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

"Dammit, I'm not going to stand for this!" Jack yelled. "You will not die! Doctor, I have been forced to stand around and watch everyone I love die! I understand you. You have been my only comfort, the only person I knew would be able to be with me as long as I live. You will not die!" He ran towards the destruction, not stopping, despite the Doctor's desprate pleas for him to stop. Owen followed him.

"Jack, no! Please!" Shaking, the Doctor let himself lie back for a moment. He coughed more blood before he turned to Amy. "Why can't I say my name?" He asked plainly.

"I don't know, you never told anyone."

"I can't even remember why I've been hiding it for so long! I'm sure there must be a reason... but why?" He was begging for an answer, but they couldn't give it to him. Jack was about to reach for the grass. His hand stretched out and came in contact with the soft, gentle crimson blades.

He ripped them from the ground and handed them to Owen, who immediantly started running back. The ground shook underneath them, and both had to fight to stay standing. Jack backed up quickly as more and more of the green grass became red. The Doctor just kept asking the same question: Why can't I say my name?

"Hurry Owen, make the cure!" Jack yelled. Owen sprinted towards Amy, Rory, and the Doctor.

Dropping to his knees, he began liquidizing the grass by the Doctor body. He knew he had to work quickly, faster then he ever had.

"All of you are important... I-I can't, I can't remember!" He cried.

"I can't make it fast enough!" Owen said, his own hands trembling under the pressure. Amy sat up, putting the Doctor's weak head on her lap.

"It's okay Doctor, I'm right here."

He coughed again, his arms falling weakly by his side. "Get out of here, now! Leave me here, I'm going to die anyway. It's too late, get in the TARDIS and go!"

"Never. We aren't leaving you." She held his hand.

"I wasn't asking! Go!" His body trembled violently as tears steamed down his cheeks. "I can't remember you, but I know I don't want you hurt. You are all important to me! You have just opened up a war, pouring it into time. No one was ever meant to touch that grass, this is the weak spot, the area where I made the Time Lock. I won't be there to stop it. This is your war now. Run!"

"No, we can't!" Amy pleaded. Gallifrey was coming closer, they had close to no time left. The Doctor suddenly looked at her, his eyes full of guilt. Suddenly, they flashed with insight.

"Why can't I say my name?" He smiled slightly.

"I told you Doctor, I don't know."

"Owen, how much longer do you need?" Jack asked. It was obvious the Doctor didn't have any longer then ten minutes left.

"I don't know, I don't think I can make it in time, and even if I can, it won't have enough time to circulate through his body."

"No, why can't I say my name? Why have I been so afraid of this place? It's because of my name! Yes, that's it! My name! I am the Doctor!" Amy swallowed nervously before speaking.

"If I may ask, since you've been mentioning it so much, Doctor who?" The Doctor's eyes widened. Gallifrey, the lost planet, was closing in on them. He nodded slowly. Owen's hands were moving faster then ever before, and Jack was listening.

**Yep, there it is! THE QUESTION!**


	11. Golden

**I really like this chapter, and I'm afraid there will only be one or two more of them, then perhaps an epilouge. I really don't want to see this story go, I enjoy writing it so much. Please, when I'm done with this story I will be updating and starting others on my page. I would love it if you guys could check them out! Reviews are always welcome on any of my stories! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.**

**~~~~~~~~  
** He took a breath, and was just about to answer when he gripped the right side of his chest, letting out a painful cry. "Doctor!" Amy yelled, starting to panic. His breathing was shallow and his body trembled.

"I've forgotten all of your names... I-I can't barely remember a few adventures I've had with you two..." He pointed to Amy and Jack. "It's time..." His head was still on Amy's lap, and she reached over and held his hand. Jack came close and put a hand on the dying Time Lord's shoulder, and Rory held his other hand. Owen worked furiously through the shimmering film of tears that was forming. If the Doctor was going to die, here, now, they needed to be with him.

"All these years, all these people... they're slipping away from me. I love you all, so much." He coughed painfully.

"We love you too, Doctor." Amy let out a sob as she tried to smile, a strained laugh. "I-I can't be losing you, please... I've already lost you once! Not again! It can't be real, please, tell me it's not real! I need you, Doctor! Stay with me, please!" She pleaded.

"I remember... my name... it's the key!" He coughed again, his breathing quick. He cried out in pain as he gripped the left side of his chest, as his last heart began to give out on him.

"What are you talking about?!"

"T-The Time Lock.." He was talking as fast as possible, there wasn't much time. "I made it, I set my name as the key. It only works here, in this field. I completely forgot about it... If-If my name is the key, and the Lock has just been opened, can't the key relock it as well?"

"You would think so... Can you really do that Doctor?"

"Yeah... Ask me again-" He shook Amy's wrist, smiling wide as if he weren't on the verge of death. "The question, quickly now, ask me again!"

"Doctor who?" He opened his mouth as the word gently flowed from if, the word that could make entire worlds fall apart, a word so dangerous it was never used. At that moment, silence fell across the universe as the Doctor fell still. Amy gasped and Jack stumbled backwards, Rory was immobilized with shock. With a golden shine, Gallifrey was dragged back into the Time Lock as the grass returned to bright green.

However, it was no happy moment. The Doctor's chest ceased to rise, and Amy held her breath. Tears flowed down Jack's cheeks as he looked down at still form of the Doctor. His eyes were closed. Amy sobbed as she carresed the Doctor's motionless cheek. He had stopped breathing. It was over the risks had been for nothing. The Doctor was dead.

"MOVE!" Owen yelled. He held a syringe in his had, filled with a deep red liquid. Rory and Jack took a step back as Owen jabbed the needile into the Doctor's neck. Amy covered her mouth as she sobbed. Jack turned away, taking deep breaths so that he didn't panic. He was supposed to be strong now, for Amy, for Rory, especially for Owen, who was trying desprately to circulate the Gallifreyan cure.

"Give him some air! Amy, let his head down. He's got two hearts, right?" As she moved, Amy nodded without saying a word.

Owen began preforming CPR, taking deep breaths and trying to transfer life to him. Owen was desperate, and as the hope became thin, tears flowed down Owen's cheeks. Jack knew that he never cried, no matter how much it hurt. To see Owen falling apart was heartbreaking for everyone there.

He gasped for air again, breathing into the Doctor's mouth, then pressed on both sides of the Doctor's chest. Over and over, with no response from the Time Lord. Jack came and put a hand on Owen's shoulder. "It's alright, Owen. He's gone." Jack's voice was strained.

"I have to save him... Tosh was right, you need this man! I have to save him!" Owen's choked sob was stifled when he gasped for air and repeated the CPR proccess. Jack knelt down beside Owen.

"You've done everything you could, I promise, it's okay." Owen leaned back a bit and buried his face in his hands. Jack hugged him as Owen buried his face in his shoulder. If either of them had been any less grieved, it would have been incredibly awkward.

"I'm sorry Jack, I am, I really am." Owen mumbled.

"You guys..." Rory tried to get their attention. "You guys... Hey, you guys... For God's sake, get out of the way!" He pushed them aside and grabbed the Doctor's wrist. The vein was golden and pulsing. "Give me a syringe of the cure." Rory ordered. Owen handed him a full one, wondering what he would do. Rory took it and injected it into the vein. Immediately, they could see the golden light go up his veins, as if it were his blood.


	12. Regeneration

**FallingStar95 gave me a 24 hour deadline, and I chose to meet it ;) Here is chapter 12!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.**

**** Dropping the Doctor's still lifeless arm, Rory motioned for Owen to come back. "Keep giving him CPR, now." Owen did so, but there still wasn't any result. He wasn't breathing. The glowing blood reached the Doctor's chest, more specifically his hearts. Owen pressed on both of his hearts once more, and with a light gasp, the man came back.

Amy squealed and threw her arms around the Doctor's chest. Owen fell back onto the grass with a sigh. Jack stood up, smiling and laughing nervously. Rory smiled and patted the Doctor's shoulder. "Welcome back." Rory told him.

Amy found herself sobbing yet again into her Doctor. It was better this time, they were happy, relieved tears, and she was comforted by the sound of his heartbeats, rather then silence.

"You-You did it-" He sat up, coughing hard.

"Careful, Doctor. You've got a lond road to recovery ahead of you." Owen warned. The Doctor shook his head.

"No, it's too late for that. Jack, you know what comes next. Get as far away as possible. You might even make it to the TARDIS, just run!"

"But I just met this version of you! Please don't regenerate!" Amy grabbed Jack by the shoulder.

"Is he gonna do that thing, where he changes?" Jack nodded, pulling them back away from him.

"Amy, I'm sorry. I will never be able to tell you how sorry I am. Don't forget me, Ponds! This me, right here, standing in front of you. It'll be hard, no doubt about it, but I will still be the Doctor." His hands glowed bright gold.

"That's how you looked when I met you! Raggedy man, please!" She screamed. Jack had to hold her back from running to him as she pleaded. The Doctor pulled himself to his feet, the cure working just enough for his stiff legs to work, as Jack pulled everyone away as quickly as possible.

He stood still, in the middle of the Fields of Trenzalore, and smiled. "Amy, you know my name now. All of you do. It's a secret that will live with you for the rest of your lives. You are all now guardians of a dark and powerful secret. Never again must that word be spoken, you hear? This is Eleven's last goodbye. Thank you all, you saved me. You exceeded even my expectations. I don't know how I could have underestimated you. Thank you so much. So long, Ponds, Jack, Owen. See you in moment."

The Doctor erupted into golden light, and his four friends had to turn their eyes away for a moment at the magnitude of the brightness. The Fields were set ablaze around him, and they had to keep running. It was no use, the fire was everywhere.

"DOCTOR!" Amy screamed. The oxygen was running low, and they dropped to their knees. Never before had the Doctor ever regenerated like this. He let out a blood-curdling scream as the familiar pain of regeneration overwhelmed him.

Amy choked on the black smoke that was burning her throat and eyes. Rory was holding her close as Jack held her hand and Owen watched in complete awe at the Doctor's beginning transformation. Amy was the first to fall unconscious at lack of oxygen, then Rory and Owen. Jack, once he was sure that they would not be consumed by flames, stood, and began moving closer to the Doctor. All at once, it stopped. The Doctor crumpled to the ground as the flames died down.

Jack staggered to the fallen figure. "Doctor!" He called out, waving a hand in front of his face so he could breathe. What was once the beautiful Fields of Trenzalore was now a charred piece of ground. "Doctor!" Jack couldn't breathe. About thirty seconds later, he too succumbed to the effects of the suffocation.

"Jack!" A new silhoette was running towards him, and kneeled next to him. He picked him up and slung him over his new shoulder, walking towards the three people on the ground. The smoke had started to clear, leaving enough oxygen for Owen to wake up. He coughed some of the ash in his throat, then stood.

"Could you give me a hand, Owen?" The Doctor cleared his throat. "Sorry, new voice." Owen's mouth dropped open. "Oh, yes yes. Hello, I believe we haven't exactly met. I am the Doctor, the twelth version. It's still me, Owen, just different. I'll get Rory, can you carry Amy back?"

Owen nodded and scooped up the red-head. The new Doctor slung Rory over his shoulder. It didn't take long to get to the TARDIS, and Owen was so stunned he didn't know what to say. They took the unconscious companions to the med-bay, where they each were layed in a bunk bed. The Doctor took that chance to look over to Owen and ask him a question.

"Owen, this is a very important question." He took Owen by the shoulders and looked at him with deep seriousness. "By any chance, am I ginger?" Owen was startled by the question, but answered reluctantly.

"Umm... no. You're blonde, sir." He groaned in disappointment.

"Gosh Darn Flabbit! I wanted to be ginger! How many more times do I have to regenerate to be ginger?!" He held up his hands, waving them around to prove his point. It was then that the Doctor fell, and found himself on his hands and knees. "Listen Owen! This is perfectly normal for this! I'm going to be in a healing coma for a while, just let me sleep. Take care of Amy, Rory, and Jack and tell them this. It won't be long, I promi-" He fell to the floor.

Owen pulled him up onto the main med-bay table, much like the autopsy table in his workstation. With that, he pulled up a chair, took a book out of his medical bag, and waited for his friends to wake up.

**Only one more chapter after this! **


	13. Bittersweet Goodbyes

**The very last chapter of this story... I'll leave my note at the end, read on!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.**

**** So, that's how it happened. My name is Amelia Pond, and that is the story of how I lost my Doctor. Don't get me wrong, he's still sticking around, coming for the occasional adventure, but he's not my Doctor anymore. He's not my bowtie-wearing, raggedy man. When I woke that day, I found Owen, Jack, and Rory sitting together in the room.

"Where's the Doctor?" They looked up towards the med-bay table, and my eyes followed their gaze. A man lay there, still, yet his chest steadily rose and fell. He had short blonde hair that was in a sort of army cut, and looked like he could be a little over twenty years old. I must admit, he looked handsome.

I swallowed. "Is this him? I mean, is it really him?" Jack nodded.

The Doctor was asleep for another day, before he finally opened his eyes. They were a dazzling blue. I did my best to smile at him. "Hi, Amy." He said.

"Hi... Doctor." I replied hesitantly. He sat up and swung his legs off the table.

"It really is me, you know. Trust me, I'm still the Doctor." I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him. He held me close to him, in his strong arms as I sobbed, releasing all the strain of the events of he past weeks.

I pulled away and looked at him, deep into his eyes, his ancient eyes. "Doctor..." My hand reached up and brushed his cheek. It was cool to the touch, for the first time in what seemed like ages. "It really is you. I'll have to get used to it, you know."

"I know." He stood up and walked over to the three men who were watching. He shook their hands.

"Jack... Thank you. You believed in me, and in yourself. All of you saved me. I suppose it's time we get back you and Owen back to Cardiff, and then I can take Amy and Rory back to Leadworth. I'm sure you two could use a break."

We decided to keep secret the fact that the TARDIS, seeing that the Doctor was dead, and not taking into consideration the fact he could have regenerated, showed Rory and I "Interface One" when we wandered into the control room. As far as I'm concerned, the Doctor died that day. Yes, another did take his place, and I still love him, but my Doctor is dead. That message left on the TARDIS computers was his goodbye to us, and I accepted it. I can never see that Doctor again.

I miss him. This new Doctor, the twelfth Doctor, is wonderful, and I still need him, but he can never completely fill the hole left by my Doctor.

We all still guard his secret, his name. My Doctor saved the universe in the same day he died. Jack phones now and then, checking up on Rory and I. The last time he called, he informed us that Ianto, Toshiko, and Owen are all dead. I was sobbing for some time after that. The people who helped us save the Doctor's life had lost their own. It wasn't fair.

I told the Doctor a while after, when he came to pick us up again. He was stricken with grief, and we went to go pick up Jack to take him on an adventure, and I think that sometime during that time, I heard the Doctor having a serious talk with Jack.

And now, with this, I say goodbye to the greatest man who ever lived in all of the universe. My Doctor, the bowtie-wearing alien, will never be forgotten. The one who found me, scared, on that Easter when I was eight years old. The one who promised he'd take me with him, in five minutes. The one who came back for me. This is Amelia Pond's last goodbye to the man she held so close, the one she waited for. This is my goodbye to him, the final goodbye from The Girl Who Waited.

Goodbye Doctor.

**Alas, this story comes to a close. I really am disappointed to see it end. I hope you all enjoyed it, it was such a pleasure to write. Thanks to all of you for sticking with this story, and especially to all my reviewers. This story was way more popular then I'd imagined any of my work could be! Please, I would appreciate it if you guys could go to my author's page and read some of my other fanfictions! Any suggestions or request for certain plots, or even songfics, would be awesome! I NEED inspiration! :D Once again, thank you to all my readers, you made writing this story such an enjoyable experience. -Time Lord Evangeline**


	14. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Hello everyone! Just wanted to let you guys know to check out my newest story: Live, Love, Lose. Another Sick/Dying Doctor fic that I hope you will enjoy. This time, it is with the Doctor amd Clara, mostly because I haven't quite warmed up to her yet. I may bring in other characters, perhaps River this time. Anyways, it would be my honor if you would look at it!**

**-Time Lady Evangeline**


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